USF students flood MSC Ballroom for Brittany Broski speaker series

Hundreds of USF students gathered inside and outside the Marshall Student Center to attend Brittany Broski’s University Lecture Series event. ORACLE PHOTO/RACHELL ROSS

USF’s University Lecture Series guest for USF Week, Brittany Broski, had students flooding the Marshall Student Center on Tuesday.

Broski is an influencer, podcaster, singer and comedian who first rose to fame on TikTok in 2019 as the “Kombucha Girl” for tasting fermented tea for the first time.

Since then, Broski has expanded her self-image into different creative outlets, including through her TikTok, YouTube-based podcast “The Broski Report” and a medieval-themed YouTube talk show called “Royal Court.”

Fifty people were allowed into the MSC Ballroom at a time, waiting in a spiral line that spanned the building’s top three floors. A total of 828 students registered for the event by the end of the night, with a maximum capacity of 900.

Doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and Broski made her stage appearance at 8 p.m. Broski was paid $52,500 for her performance, compared to $65,000 for last year’s USF Week lecturer, Lana Condor.

Some USF students who attended the hour-long event said that although she discussed her rise to fame, Broski also reassured them that there is always more time to find the right career path.

Adjusting to a sudden influencer status through her “Kombucha Girl” video has been a gradual process for Broski.

Broski said that’s partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s contribution to a shift in internet culture, leading viewers to move from loving celebrities to holding them accountable.

“We crave authentic, real, relatable people,” she said. “But then that cycle is a bit, you know, it’s a bit cannibalistic. A normal person becomes famous, and then they become so famous that they get out of touch.”

Broski added that this shift in internet culture can also make it difficult for audiences and creators to strike a balance between connection and career growth.

“To watch someone reach their full potential who was just a normal person is one of the joys of the internet,” she said. “But at the same time, you know, how do you remain relatable?”

Broski said that moving from being a fan to being the idol still stresses her out because she does not see herself at that level yet.

Still, she said she appreciates students and her “loyal following” for coming out to see her on a school night.

“I’m just a person, the way you’re just a person,” Broski said. “No one’s better than anyone else, and I think that that pedestal can get a little rocky sometimes.”

Broski said she grew up as a theatre and liberal arts kid, which led her to earn a communications degree from Texas A&M University in 2018.

Her advice to students entering college, she said, would be to take the time to decide what they want to do after graduation.

“If you’re not happy with your major, go ahead, just change it,” Broski said. “Life’s a mystery. Just change your major.”

Broski said she believes college prepares students to be functional adults.

“Figure out who you are, spend the time on that, and if you have to pivot and make a different decision, that’s fine,” Broski said. “That’s what this time is for.”

Beyond discussing college and her career, Broski answered audience questions on what she’d do in a Saturday Night Live skit.

Broski said she would like to make her own SNL skit with co-host Melissa McCarthy and musical guest Adele — her “twin.”

Isabel Quirindongo, a junior language, speech and hearing science major, said she has been a fan of Broski since her “Kombucha Girl” video.

Since then, Quirindongo has been constantly watching Broski on TikTok and YouTube — both her podcast and her Royal Court series.

“I love how authentic she is to herself and her beliefs,” she said. “She doesn’t care if her viewers will disagree with her when she’s telling the truth.”

Quirindongo said her biggest takeaway from Broski’s lecture was the reminder not to take education for granted, a belief she firmly holds.

“Having an education and access to all the resources we have here on campus is truly a blessing,” Quirindongo said. “I really feel as though people should take more advantage of all of the support there is on campus.”

Quirindongo said she knew Broski was popular and expected lots of people to attend — meaning she chose to get to the MSC early, around 4:30 p.m., to get ahead of check-in.

While waiting in line for so long felt disappointing, Quirindongo said the event was worth the wait.

“It was definitely one of the best ULS events USF has ever had,” she said.

Daniel Nguyen, a senior nursing major, said he has also been a fan of Broski since her “Kombucha Girl” video.

Nguyen said he doesn’t typically attend USF events, but said he cleared his schedule as soon as he found out about Broski’s lecture.

“She’s always been someone I can listen to and just relate and find myself and my friends in the way she acts and speaks,” Nguyen said.

He said his biggest takeaway from the lecture was Broski’s comment that students have time to figure things out, which resonated with him as a student.

“We feel pressured to graduate as soon as possible and enter the workforce,” he said. “There are so many more paths that are available, not just the ones that are spoon-fed to us.”

While Nguyen spent about three-and-a-half hours in line, he said the chance to sit in on Broski’s lecture made it worth it.

“She’s 100% my favorite internet celebrity [or] personality, and I am so happy to be in the same timeline as her,” he said.

Overall, Broski said she wants college students to stay grounded and true to themselves.

“There is plenty of time for fun and friends and blacking out and being hungover in class,” Broski said. “However, make sure you’re learning some things and walking away from this experience a changed, better person.”

Additional reporting by Isabella Oefelein.

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